Matt Neal determined to fight back from Rockingham woes

Matt Neal says he is keen to bounce back from a tough outing at Rockingham when the BTCC heads for Knockhill this weekend for the eighth meeting of the year.

Neal was left on the back foot after an engine change ahead of qualifying on his Honda Civic Type-R played a role in him qualifying towards the back of the grid – with a difficult race day then yielding a best finish of only 14th place.

That saw the former champion lose vital ground in the points race but he heads for Knockhill in optimistic modd about his chances with the FK8 version of the Civic.

The previous incarnation of the car enjoyed success on track at the Scottish circuit, whilst Neal himself has won seven times at Knockhill through the years.

“It was a tough weekend in Rockingham but it just makes us more determined to bounce back for Knockhill and get back onto the podium,” he said. “That weekend showed just how important qualifying is in a championship as competitive as this so we will be focusing hard on ensuring we start on the right foot in Scotland and go from there.

“The racing is frenetic at Knockhill but as long as we stay out of trouble we have a great chance of a strong result. Honda has a brilliant record there for good reason and the Civic Type-R rides the kerbs very well so I am hopeful we will be right up there again.”